Chasing Normal: Growing Up, Letting Go, and Finding Joy in Being Different

Craig Greiwe

Oct 2022 · Post Hill Press

About this ebook

As a kid growing up in Indiana surrounded by cornfields and deep poverty, with two emotional terrorists for parents, all Craig Greiwe ever wanted was to be normal. In his youth, he lived under the stairs in Dickensian misery. Once he managed to make it to college, things got about as weird as might be expected for a teenager who grew up reading The 1978 World Book Encyclopedia for kicks. From an emotional breakdown at the top of a mountain at one school to setting off a chain of events that nearly blew apart Columbia Law School a few years after that, his life was anything but normal. Along the way, he found a long-distance foster mom 2,000 miles away; slept his way to success in Hollywood; had his heart broken; discovered secrets about the people who raised him; and was finally adopted by Norman-Rockwell-esque parents at the age of twenty-four. Chasing Normal is the story of a man who grew up trying to be like everyone else, only to realize that being yourself is the only way forward. His stories range from wild to painful and sometimes humorous, but ultimately, they are a journey about compassion, salvation, and eventually, joy. Chasing Normal stands out as a hopeful beacon for anyone who’s ever felt “other”—which is just about everyone. Like a lighthouse on a hill, this book offers direction to an illuminating place where we can learn to embrace ourselves, no matter how messy a life we lived.

Ratings and reviews

Craig Greiwe's memoir is honest, harrowing and also humorous. He grew up in rural Indiana in abject poverty, the son of two abusive, cruel and negligent parents. Craig resolved to escape and spent his youth attempting to become "normal", until he realized that "normal" is an illusion and that the people who care for you are what really matters. It is amazing that he even survived, let alone achieved graduation from law school and a successful career. Intelligently written, powerful, inspiring.

About the author

Craig Greiwe is a business executive and former Chief Strategy Officer for one of America’s largest culture and marketing firms, Rogers & Cowan PMK, as well as a Los Angeles mayoral candidate—but it wasn’t always that way. He grew up in poverty in rural Indiana, before being abandoned as a teenager. He worked hard, relied on the blessings of others, and built a life from virtually nothing. Now, he’s known for finding solutions to seemingly impossible problems and developing groundbreaking strategy for America’s most trusted businesses, all while making sure that every friend has a drink in their hand, a warm shoulder to cry on, and a “chin-up” perspective. He has a relentlessly optimistic yet practical outlook on life—the kind you can only develop by having hit rock bottom and dusting yourself off to try again.